ME, CHAMPADEVI AND THE SUN

I woke up every day with a relentless feeling of competition. It was not against my peers, not against my classmates either. First, in the dawn, it was with the rising sun. I challenged it every single day, striving to see who would wake up earlier. Some days it stood first while the other days I won. 

I envied the sun because even after winning this not-so-unhealthy competition, it was the one to unveil the night scarf from Blue Champadevi Hill, whose lush greenery captivated me the most. The sun spilled secrets to the hill while Champadevi stood still like an active listener. The sun's rays would caress its grace before I could and it seemed as if Champadevi dada embraced the sun in its arms while I ended up getting mocked.

I never liked when the sun set right after it was my turn to toss the stone while playing the seven-stone game on the ground. My mom would soon call me back home as if the sun's presence determined everything I did. I questioned, " Can I not endure the darkness without the sun and continue playing throughout the night?" 

Does this make me an antagonist to the sun? I remember rushing to sano dhara as soon as I woke up, to fetch some water so that I could offer it. It rose every day to reveal the scenic, green tall hill to me. I also could never imagine champadevis aesthetics, if it were not the sun. The sun settled down, so it could play hide and seek with me. The epiphany of this friendship dazzles me every time. I now dare not question the loving sun.

  

                                                                                              -Dipikshya Basnet